Evaporating apparatus.



No. 888,018. PATENTE D MAY 19, 1908.

J. A. JUST.

EVAP ORATING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 24, 1906.

nnrrn earns Parana ornron JOHN A. JUST, OF SYRACUSE, NEW YORK EVAPORATING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 19, 1908.

Application filed November 24-, 1906. Serial N 0. 344,899.

tus an increase the efficiency whereby a liquid, as for instance milk, may be reduced to a dry powder or reduced to condensed form.

Further objects of the invention will hereinafter appear and to these ends the invention consists of evaporating apparatus for carrying out the above objects embodying the features of construction, combinations of elements, and arrangement of parts having the general mode of operation substantially as hereinafter fully described and claimed in this specification and shown in the accom anying drawings, in which the figure is a ongitudinal elevation partly in section of apparatus embodying the invention.

Referring to the drawings, A represents the walls of a chamber, the top B and the bottom C of which are shown broken away. as this chamber may be very large, even up to thirty or forty feet square. The sizeflof the chamber in the practice is therefore very much larger in actual pro ortion to the remainder of the apparatus t an as illustrated. The bottom 0 is preferably raised or projected inwardly in the form of a truncated cone having the sides D and top E so that the sides D of the cone and the walls A of the chamber form a chute or collecting space for the dry material.

The chamber which will be designated F is provided with a jacket G for steam or other eating fluid, and is also provided with the suction pipes H communicating with the chamber through the top B. Over the openings of the pipes H are provided fine screens I to aid in preventing the dried material from bein carried off by the suction. In front of each screen I are placed revolving clearing blades J adapted to be rotated by motors of any suitable character carried by the'brackets K and connected to the blades chamber.

J. The revolving blades J also revent the dried material, which may be in t e form of a powder, from passing off through the suction p1 es H.

Within the vacuum chamber F are are ranged revolving plates L and 0 adapted to be revolved together in the same direction at a high speed, which may be from two thousand to eighteen thousand revolutions per minute. These disks may be of steel and are adjustably mounted on the shaft P by any suitable means, as for instance the set screws Q, whereby the distance between the inner surfaces of theplates may be adjusted as desired and normally the surfaces of the disks should almost touch. The shaft P extends upwardly to the collar R and the up er ortion of'the shaft is hollow as indicate -in otted lines. A fine aperture S, communicating with the hollow interior of the shaft, is provided between the inner surfaces of the plates L and O to permit the liquid material passing down through the-inside of the shaft to pass out between the lates'.

The collar or bearing ft stationary hollow shaft T, suitably supported from the top B of the chamber F and rovided with a funnel U. The revolving s aft P which carries both the revolving plates is carried in a suitable bearing V in the plate E and is adapted to be driven by any suitable is carried by the form of motor, as for instance the steam turan outlet a, and as shown, extends up around the sides of the vacuum chamber F and around the ortion, of the inner walls D of the t the lower portions of the chamber F are Iprovided the outlets b, communieating wit 1 are of sufficient size to receive a substantially large quantity of the material. Above and below each receiving chamber a are rovided the valves d, provided with suitable i nected to the valve spindles. These valves d may be of any suitable character, preferably one-way valves, and by means of the arrangement of valves shown the material maybe .withdrawnfrom the vacuum chamber F the receiving chambers c, which land opcrating devices in the form of cranks e conopened, the upper valves should be closed,

' thereby reventing communication of the chamber? with the outside air. Preferably plete a vacuum as ossible should be maintained in the charm er F. The heat of the chamber should be varied in accordance with the nature of the material being operated upon. A

f liquid milk is bein fed to the revolving late L, the milk is disc arged by centrifugal fbrce into the chamber F 1n atomized form and evaporating moisture passes off through the suction pipes H, while the ortion of the milk recovered collects in'the ower part of the chamber F in the form of an extremely fine dry powder, which is received in the chambers c. When the disks L and O are adjusted very close together almost touching, the milk will be reduced to a dry powder, but if it is desired to obtain as a product condensed milk "the plates L and 0 should be adjusted further apart and revolved at a lower s eed thereb ermitting a lar er u'antit I y P g q 3 o lk to flow on to the plate L andissue from between the plates, in which latter case the milk will collect in the lower chamber F in condensed form, which may be withdrawn into the receivers 0. The extent to which the moisture of a given droplet of milk will be evaporated during its travel from the periphery of the rotating disk to the bottom of t e chamber will de end very much on the size ofthis droplet. he size of part .of the the droplet's in the-mist can be readily regua lated by adjusting conditions in the manner described. As long as the tem erature of the chamber F and the speed 0 the plates and uantity' of material fed are all maintaine substantially constant, a substantially uniform (product will be obtained, either as powdere' milk or vas condensed milk.

The inner surface of the chamber F may be lined with tin, or tinned steel or iron, which maybe readily cleansed and sterilized. The chamber is preferably constructed without corners so that there will be no opportunity for stale products to lodge in the chamber,

and conse uently little labor is required to maintain t e apparatus in a requisite condi tlon to obtain a product free from extraneous contarmnation.

In order to successfully concentrate or reduce liquid milk either to a dry powder, or to the so-called condensed form, and in order to obtain a wholesome stable product with all the milk constituents in an unchanged condition, the full milk itself or the separated milk and cream added should be treated in such manner as to cause the cream or fatty portion of the milk to further emulsify with the albuminous portion and salts, in a much more complete emulsification or state of finer sub-division than exists in ordinary milk. This object is attained with the present apparatus. When this emulsification is accomplished and the product subjected to desiccation in the apparatus described, a condensed milk or dried product will be obtained, which will keep an indefinite time unchanged in a proper package. On redissolving the product with the requisite quantity of water fresh milk is formed, like that from which the product was made, withoutance with my process the dissociation of the 9 5 various ingredlents of the milk which occurs in spraying is'prevented, and these ingredients are brought into most intimate subdivision contact and association. Ordinary spraying tends to dissociate, or change the state of physical aggregation of the ingredients of the milk so that the albuminous particles are covered with fat, when such sprayed particles are exposed to a heated atmosphere in the process of desiccation. Such a product will not keep and becomes rancid quickly, assuming a cheesy odor, so that for this reason full cream milk has never. been successfully desiccated by the spraying process.

By misting the milk centrifugally in my apparatus, the product is rendered absolutel umform and is greatly superior to the ordinary commercial products, and is produced at much less cost in a much shorter time than heretofore. Very large quantities of milk can thus be condensed or reduced to. a dry powder in a short time. or reduction of thenilk in my process is, practically instantaneous and no time is afforded for harmful changes to occur in the milk solids, for all such harmful reactions require time. Milk as ordinarily condensed in 'avacuum pan requires many hours of treat-v ment, according to the capacity of the pan, five or more tons of mllk being usually The condensation I placed in these pans at one time d slowly condensed. In my process themilk is sup plied in a continuous stream, and the completed product is-continuously removed.

to unite and mix the two, the cream being added improper proportion to the cleansedand separated. milk. This mixed milk is then .fed' into my machine, and 'is thereby atomized andits'constituent s brought into 1 intimate contact, infinitely more intimate' than existed in the fresh milk. This inti-' mate contact produces a smooth and wholesome article of condensed milk or dry milk powder. If the impurities were not first removed they'would concentrate as the milk concentrates and would become more objectionable and pronounced inthe finished product, but these impurities are chieflyremoved with the dirt or heavy dirt particles.

I The dirt ofmilk consists .of porous spongy matter, which is teeming'with a low order ofbacteria, andihence my products are especially free from anaerobic and harmful'germs.

The condensed milk product may be sweetened or itmay be condensed unsweet- 'ened as desired.- Milk condensed in the ordinary way in'a vacuum. pan, on standing, or in a store, often cakes more or less and a portion of the product solidifies to a crystalline mass. Milk condensedby my process will not separate its crystalline portion from the other ingredients. The dry fpowder obtained by my each other after the first treatment or additional emulsification. This intimate emulsification onceseoured will yield a'condensed milk or milk powder, giving when mixed with a requisite amountof water for restoring the product, a liquid milk which will hold its fat uniformly throughout, unlike other milk roducts in which the fat will rise to the surface when the product is mixed with water. I claim and desire to obtain by Letters Patent the following: 1. In eva 'orating apparatus, the combination of a c amber, means for heating the same, flat-faced centrifugal disks arranged close together face to face in said chamber,

means for rotating the disks together in the same direction, and means for supplying liquid between said disks at or near their 7 vit'enter.

2. In eva crating apparatus, the combina-. tion of a c amber, means for heating the same, means for producing a partial vacuum therein, flat-faced centrifugal disks arranged close together face to face in said chamber,

means for rotating the disks'together' in the same direction, and means for supplying liquid between said disks at or near thelr center.

3. In evaporating apparatus, the combination of a chamber, means for heating the same, means for producing a partial vacuum therein, means for removing material without changing the vacuum, flat-faced centrifugal disks arranged close together face to'face in said chamber, means for rotating the disks together in the same direction, and means for supplying liquid between said disks at or near their center.

4. In an apparatus adaptedto treat milk,

' the combination of a chamber adapted to receive and collect misted material, imperforate centrifu al disks having parallel faces and arrange close together face to face in said chamber, means for rotating the disks together in the same direction and means for supplying liquid between said disks at or near their center.

5. In evaporating ap aratus, the combination with a vacuum 0 amber .of a vertical,

rotatable shaft, a pair of flat-faced centrifugal disks arranged face to face and close together on said shaft within the chamber and rotatable with said shaft, and means for supplying liquid to be condensed between said disks at or near their center.

6. In drying apparatus, the combination with a vacuum chamber, a vertical rotatable shaft, a pair of fiat-faced centrifugal disks within the chamber and adjustably mounted onsaid shaft face to face andclose together and means for supplyin liquid to be condensed between said dis is at or near their center.

7. In evaporating paratus, the combination with a vacuum chamber of one or more suction pipes connected thereto, screens over the inner end of said one or more pipes, rev- ,oluble blades mounted to revolve in front of said screens and a centrifugal de ice in said chamber.

8. In evaporating ap aratus, the combina-' JOHN A.-Jus'r.

Witnesses:

OLIN A; Fosrsn,, A. L. OBRIEN. 

